Description
Light and airy cream puffs filled with a smooth vanilla pudding and whipped cream mixture, flavored with a hint of almond extract. Perfect for a delightful dessert or elegant teatime treat, these cream puffs feature delicate choux pastry shells baked to golden perfection and filled with a luscious, creamy filling.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pastry Shell:
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
For the Cream Puff Filling:
- 1 package vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 1/4 cups milk
Instructions
- Heat Liquid Mixture: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine water, butter, and salt. Heat until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Make Dough: Remove the saucepan from the heat. Using a wooden spoon, vigorously stir in all the flour at once until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
- Add Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition, until the dough is smooth and satiny. Allow the dough to cool slightly.
- Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease and flour a large cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- Form and Bake Pastry Shells: Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons into 10 mounds for large puffs. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Then, turn off the oven and leave the puffs inside for an additional 15 minutes to dry out. Cool on a wire rack.
- Beat Whipping Cream: Pour the heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl and beat on high speed for about 3-4 minutes until pillowy whipped cream forms. Use a stand mixer if available.
- Prepare Pudding: Prepare the vanilla instant pudding according to package directions, substituting the recommended milk quantity with 1 1/4 cups milk for a thicker consistency.
- Combine Filling: Fold the whipped cream and almond extract gently into the prepared pudding using a spatula. Mix by hand until fully incorporated.
- Fill Pastry Shells: Once the pastry shells are completely cool, cut them in half horizontally and spoon or pipe the cream filling inside.
- Serve or Store: Serve the cream puffs immediately or refrigerate or freeze them for later enjoyment.
Notes
- This recipe yields 8-10 large cream puffs; for smaller puffs, use 15-20 mounds of dough.
- Be sure to fully cool the pastry shells before filling to prevent sogginess.
- If you do not have almond extract, vanilla extract can be used as a substitute.
- Leftover filled cream puffs should be consumed within 2 days if refrigerated.
- For crispier shells, avoid opening the oven while baking.
